"Care to explain what just happened?" Ashnah broke the silence between them.
"I'm surprised you're this... calm. I thought you'll freak out," Uncle Arnold answered without looking at her direction. His eyes were focused in front of the car. He steered the wheel to the left, making a left turn.
"I'm a frustrated writer and if you're someone who reads a variety of fiction slash fantasy books, you'll understand why I could remain calm," she answered nonchalantly.
"Where should I start?" He said unhurriedly, clearly trying to check how he can get out of the situation.
"I won't leave your car unless you explain it well."
He glanced at her in exhasperation. "I'm not saying I won't be telling you."
"I didn't say you wouldn't do so."
"First, how did you get inside the warp?"
"So that's called the warp? Cool. That's why the surroundings looked lifeless and dead."
"You get on quickly."
"Blame it to my wide imagination," she smiled at him proudly.
"Yeah, you really should pursue your writing."
"Already am. Now, stop making a curve ball. Next revelation, please," she smiled sweetly at him, too sweetly for his taste.
"Damn," he sighed. "Okay," he briefly raked his hair with his fingers, getting frustrated. "I'm not gonna put you up with this kind of job for your Uncle Rodney's sake."
"Uncle Rodney knows about what you're doing?"
"Nope."
"Look, Uncle Arnold. I'm doing this to protect myself. I should be aware since I was involved."
"You do not need to be involved."
"I'm already involved, Uncle Arnold. What if I got lost again during a warp and I'm not able to determine it and just die within it with the monsters that you were trying to deal with?"
He didn't answer but how his brows were drawn closer as he's thinking hard whether to tell her or not.
One more push. "I also care about my life. There is always a first time."
He angrily strike the beep when someone crossed on the road without looking on the sideways. He stopped the car in an empty parking lot. He went to the trunk of his car and got a bottle of cold beer and a small box of yogurt drink. He tossed the yogurt drink to her.
"What made you think I would like this?" she asked.
"Every kid likes yogurt drink," he said nonchalantly.
"You have a kid?" she looked surprise. Melanie's going to be disappointed.
"Doesn't matter whether I do or not," he sipped on his can of beer.
"Cranky," she whispered.
"Good thing you know. There is nothing you can do about it."
"I wonder how you got close with my Uncle Rodney."
"I also wonder about that," there was that smile on his face while he reminisce in his head how they two become friends; and she saw why Melanie liked this cranky guy.
"Enough of that. You should tell me about what's going on," she started. She would not let Uncle Arnold deviate their conversation. She need to get what's important.
Uncle Arnold sighed deeply. "So my gorgeousness does not work well with you."
"You're not my type, uncle and surely I'm not yours either," she said nonchalantly. She finally stick the straw to the yogurt box.
He laughed gleefully, amused of her thinking. He finally decided to tell her about the things she's curious about. "This world is actually split into two dimensions," finally he started. "We have our realm--the human world--and the other, spiritual world. Human world cannot see the spiritual world as you may know already, except if your spiritual eye is opened. However, it is different in the spiritual world. What we do, what we think, and how our emotions go, a spirit with no good intention could feed from them and grow in greed. When they do, they would further wished to take the life force of the human they are feeding from. Those spirits who feed from the dark emotions of a person can be called demons."
He paused for a while, trying to check if she has any questions. Observing that she has none, he continued. "Those demons have caused ruckus everywhere. From depression to robbery to murder and other crimes you can think of. Of course, people's thinking have their own share of contribution in these situations. It's when they unconsciously choose to hear the whispers of those demon on their mind and unconsciously fed the demons with their their spiritual power.
Given current generation's ways--where everything can be uploaded online--they have been growing in numbers. They got someone highly intelligent on their end. All of us were given gifts but only few are manifested in the right way. Moreover, quite a lot were led astray making their gifts either manifest in the wrong way or turned into trash which can never be used."
"So that was a demon before? that dark smoke?"
"It seems your spiritual eye is open. Then can you see what's behind me?"
"T-There's a demon behind you?" chills ran on her body. Finally, her adrenaline expired and fear began to sprout on her mind.
Uncle Arnold sighed. "I think your spiritual eye is not entirely open. You need to rest. Everything could be stressful on you. These things are not easy to take in for normal people. Same goes for you, although you read a lot fictional books on your own library." He patted her head, calming the anxiousness he saw on her face. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that no demons would be around as you rest.
She just nodded in agreement.
***
Arnold's lips pursed into a thin line. Is this what Fina was talking about? Before he knew it, it was already morning. He was contemplating whether to involve her in their organization or not. If in case that he would, there's no guarantee that they're going to assign her solely to this place. They would base her assignment according to the place that requires her abilities the most. She could be assigned in the middle of the Pacific ocean for all that he knows.
And her abilities are extraordiny though unstable and uncontrolled at the moment--seeing how she cannot see a simple spiritual aura he had projected. It took time for him to crack the demon's body when it decided to swallow her whole. It was pretty strong. When he did crack it bit by bit he was able to see a bit of her ability. She was able to draw out the poison on the girl's soul and was able to heal it with the golden sphere that she manifested. There are words he couldn't read rotating on the sphere. It's either the words are too far or it rotates fast enough for him to miss it. How she has done it, he have no idea.
Gifted warriors usually drew out their spiritual power through a medium. And it strikes down anything in the spiritual dimension that is why they need to be meticulous in attacking their enemies. If the demon is already deeply attached to the soul of the person, their soul might be destroyed along with the demon spirit shall they decide to attack it. So how she saved the girl's soul before and just melting the demon spirit without much effort and without being aware of it is really strange for a gifted warrior.
He sighed when he realized that what Fina saw is really going to happen. He has no other choice than to be her mentor in order to give her the freedom that she needs. That's all he can do to pay his favor to Rodney.
He picked up the phone and called Fina's number. '
"Hello," her voice was clear, indicating that she might be awake already when he called.
"You're already up," he stated the obvious.
"I know you'll call me up. I woke up two hours ago," he heard her sipped her coffee on the other line.
"Then you should know why I'm calling then," he asked.
"No, my vision got cut off with a call from the International Office. All I saw is you'll want to see me with your haggard face."
"Damn vision of yours, showing inappropriate details."
He can imagine the smirk on her lips.
"I'm on vacation leave so see me at my house." She cut off the line without saying goodbye.
'The woman's getting cocky `cause of her ability.' He showered briefly and wore a simple shirt and khaki pants before going on his way.
***
Ashnah sighed. She's been scribbling a lot of things on her notebook. She's been trying to sell the vitamins that she had purchased. Many were interested in the products. It's just that it's too expensive for everyone to buy a bottle of it. 'I need to work hard.' She set her alarm for ten minutes to get some rest. A lot of things are popping up on her mind. She tried to clear it up to relax.
Ten minutes was up before she could do it. She grunted and tried to find anyone on her messenger's contact info to check if who could possibly avail it and if who could possibly be interested to buy the products. She started listing names and sent her drafted message to them.
A message popped up on her screen. The profile picture is not familiar with her. Hi, Miss Pres, I'm sorry but right now I'm still a trainee at my job.
Only few people call her Miss President. She was the class president in her first year high school. Since she busted the cheating games of her classmates, they have not nominated her to be elected as the president on the following years. For her, cheating should not be practiced and should not be allowed. But they do have a different idea. 'Kids.' She shook her head upon remembering the old days. It was also during those times that she felt alone in the world with no one to open up with since the bunch of kids surrounding her are too young to understand the situation that she's in.
She brushed off her thoughts. There is no need to be depressed. "Now, let's see who this classmate is." She went to his profile and check his uploaded pictures. The profile was just recently created. 'How could we become friends in this platforms if I don't have any idea who you are?'
Right now he's using Kobe Bryant's photo as his profile pic. But as she checked further on his previous profile pictures, she finally saw a familiar face. "What?! It's Elix!"
It's been so long. He used to be her highschool classmate and someone who used to be a college housemate. Yeah, they lived under the same roof for the first year of her college days. Grinning from ear to ear, she typed her reply to her old acquaintance.
Elix? It's you, right? How have you been? I didn't recognize you at first.
Yeah, it's me. It's been too long. Where are you right now?
I'm in Sugbu City right now. How about you?
I'm currenlty in Sugbu City as well. I just arrived. Do you have some time? I just want to talk to someone I'm familiar with.
Oh, how about this Saturday? Are you still going to be here by then? How long do you plan to stay?
Cool. I'm not sure how long I'm going to stay but I'll still be here on Saturday, th I'm sure.
Alright. I'll see you then.
Okay. Take care.
***
Fina opened the door. As expected, it was Arnold. "Been expecting you."
He just grunted.
"Come in. I've been waiting for you," she took the burnt bread from the toaster. "Help yourself."
He grabbed the bread and put quite a lot of strawberry jam on it.
'Well, that was unexpected,' Fina thought.
"You already know I'm going to be here."
"I told you my dream was cut off. Although I pretty much guessed what you're about to say."
He sighed in exhasperation.
"I told you I have no normal dreams." Her statement only added to his irritation. "So, who was she? I saw her face but, I don't know her name."
"She was a niece of my friend," his tone serious and angry.
"I didn't know you have some friends outside the org," she took a bite of her own sandwhich.
"You also know him. Rodney." His eyes focused on her reaction.
She choked on the sandwhich that she chewed. "What?" Rodney is not a friend of hers. Rather, he is her half brother whom she used to despise. Used to since she moved on from that fact. "What a small world."
"I thought you see that coming that's why you were concern," his mouth turned up in a smirk.
Now, it was her time to grunt. "Small world indeed. I guess you're about to take her in as a student."
"Unless you'll take her in as one of yours."
"No, `have a lot already on my hands," she shook her head. "And base on the glimpse of her gift according to the vision that I saw, she better go on field than waste her time with me in the four-cornered boring office."
"You got that right. She got a strange power. It looks simple but she was able to melt the demon's deed." Arnold remembered how she was able to melt the demon demon's power without much of a fight.
"We'll need Jin to check her on for the details of her abilities."
"That goes without saying," he sighed when he remembered another thing that's bothering him and would like to discussed with Fina. "The elders might pry further on this."
"I'll back you up. We're lucky that this city is one of the highest infected city right now. And another thing that they need to consider is the position for your partner."
His brows were drawn nearer. "So you mean you'll be making her as my partner? You know that we should think about that one further right? If she's going to be my partner, she'll need to go with me whichever mission I'll be sent to."
"Then have her as your student and a partner in training. If in case that you'll need to go, we can just make it an excuse that she's still lacking in skills."
"I guess we don't have much choice. We'll just cross the bridge shall any problems occur then."
Fina stared at Arnold for a long time and nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, I'll do whatever I can to assist you both. Afterall, I owe Rodney bigtime."